Shooting fuels unease among businesses

“Now a lot of people will be scared to go out to crowded places,” Hakimian said. “And we’re in the kind of business where people congregate — the kind of business that is not much liked by extremists.”

Hakimian said the Pool Club is equipped with an alarm system and security cameras. But beyond that, he’s not sure what he could do to guard against a similar attack.

“We feel safe, but we still worry,” he said. “There are lots of disasters that could happen, but life goes on. We’ll just be more careful, more watchful. And if we can take action to shut them off … we will.”

The Pool Club was uncomfortably close to the Dec. 2 shooting. But businesses and consumers throughout Southern California are living with the same sobering knowledge that terrorist activity has made its way to Southern California.

Concerns about going to the mall

“It’s really scary to think that something like this happened so close to us,” she said. “I’m not living on pins and needles, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind. People are worried about going to the Westfield Mall because of what just happened.”

On Friday, city staff in Ontario received calls about the Ontario Mills mall being on lockdown, according to the city’s Twitter account. A city official later confirmed that the mall was not on lockdown and that there was no credible threat.

Ontario Mayor Paul Leon acknowledged the San Bernardino shooting has put many on edge.

“There are a lot of people who are on personal high alert and that kind of starts the rumor mill,” he said. “We felt it was important to get on social media to say go shop at the Mills and have a good time. There’s nothing going on there.”

Consumers unnerved by the rampage

Nancy Monjo, who spent Friday afternoon shopping at Target in Pasadena, said the San Bernardino rampage was unnerving.

“I’ve just got to be brave,” the 70-year-old Pasadena resident said. “I have a lot of confusion trying to figure what the motive was. It’s a horrible, horrible thing. But usually there is some explanation as to why. I may not go to some places like airports, and I think a lot of people may be more reluctant to shop.”

That could put a dent in local retail sales, as consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of the nation’s economic activity.

Deloitte’s annual retail holiday sales forecast has predicted that retailers should see a moderate increase in holiday sales in stores and online this year. Deloitte has predicted holiday sales to rise 3.5 to 4 percent, to between $961 and $965 billion, excluding sales of vehicles and gasoline.

Security firm sees uptick in business

Citiguard Inc. a Woodland Hills-based company that provides security services for schools, high-rise buildings and apartment complexes, has seen an uptick in calls for service following Wednesday’s rampage.

“We got about four calls just in the last hour,” said Jenna Johnston, an executive assistant in Citiguard’s HR department. “And one of our clients just sent us a letter applauding one of our guards for the outstanding work he did.”

The letter praised Citiguard officer Ty Jones, who happened to be working nearby when Wednesday’s shooting occurred in San Bernardino.

“I placed the premises on lockdown shortly after the shooting and he was at the front lines protecting the entry of the building,” the letter reads. “Additionally, he ensured staff was safely exiting (and entering) the building, and he was watching them get to their cars to exit the property. He performed at a top-notch level, and for that he should be recognized.”

Queen Mary bolsters security plan

John Jenkins Jr., general manager for the Queen Mary in Long Beach, said security measures have been stepped up there in light of this week’s tragedy in San Bernardino.

“We want to make sure that all of our guests and crew members are always safe,” he said.

The Queen Mary functions as a floating hotel with 346 rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space.

“We get over 1.6 million visitors a year and a lot of tour groups,” Jenkins said. “We have a very comprehensive security plan in place and we challenge our crew members to go through tests every couple of months so they understand what is required of them. We continue to upgrade and improve our security as our business continues to grow.”

Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.